Apparatus for producing artificial fountains without water.



PATENTED APR. 5, 1904. 0. H. ROEDEL. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ARTIFICIAL POUNTAINS WITHOUT WATER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18. 1903.

H0 MODEL.

INVENTOR:

WITNESSES: 6 MW 4W4 -M-QM UNITED STATES Patented April 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE HARVEY ROEDEL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR -TO EDWIN J. JEITLES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN- SYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ARTIFICIAL FOUNTAIN S WITHOUT WATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,528, dated April 5, 1904,

Application filed August 18, 1903.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE HARVEY RoEDEL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Apparatus for Producing Artificial Fountains Without Water, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for producing fountains to have the appearance of water, although no water is present. The object of the invention is to produce such an apparatus which may be used upon the stage in theatrical performances for the production of a fountain without water, so that the surrounding stage property will not become wet, and also so that the parties engaged in the performance will not have their clothes and costumes injured by water, as has heretofore been the case. The invention resides in the arrangement of the mechanical devices as hereinafter set forth and described in detail, and illustrated in the drawings, and as specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the apparatus;

Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, the pipe and its supporting spider frame being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse section of a portion of the device; and,

Figure 4 is a detail view showing the manner of connecting a reflector to the main or body portion of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings,

a designates the flooring of a platform or stage provided with an opening Z) through which the upper end of a cylinder 0, constituting the body portion of the apparatus, projects. The cylinder 0 is open at both ends.

At its upper end it is turned outwardly to form a bead or rim (Z, which is adapted to engage the circumferential and downwardly and inwardly inclined edge of the opening 6 in the floor a, by means of which the said cylinder 0 is supported. The wires 6 are connected to the Serial No. 169,903. (No model.)

cylinder and to the floor for the purpose of assisting in supporting the said cylinder in its position, as shown.

Located in the upper end of the cylinder 0 and closing the said end, is a wire sieve or screen f, which is substantially semi-circular in cross-section, as illustrated. If desired, the wire screen may be replaced by a thin metallic sheet having a large number of perforations. The upper edges of the said screen f are secured to a rim 9 of metal or other suitable material which fits inside a ring it located inside the upper edge of the cylinder 0. The rim 9 is provided with an outwardly and upwardly inclined flange 2' which rests down gpon the top of the ring it and of the cylin- Secured to the ring 72, in any suitable manner is a device consisting of a silken fabric 7:, or other suitable material, which extends outwardly and upwardly in all directions from the upper edge of the said ring it and the cylinder 0, the inner edge of said device is being located between the flange i and the upper edge of the ring lb. The said fabric is is secured to a circular rim Zwhich extends entirely around the opening 6 in the floor a, the

said rim being provided with suitable supports m.

The wire sieve or screen f is adapted to receive and hold a number of very light round balls, which are adapted to be blown upwardly through the pipe or having the funnel-shaped lower end 0 consisting of a wire screen or gauze, as indicated. The said pipe a is supported by means of a spider frame 19, as illustrated, which is supported on the upper end of the cylinder 0.

In order to force the light balls of suitable material from the receptacle formed by the Wire screen or sieve f up through the funnel 0 and the pipe n, the pipe qis provided which is connected with a blower of any suitable construction, not shown, by means of which a blast of air is forced through the said pipe q, the said blast of air forcing the balls from the sieve 0 up through the pipe n, as will be understood.

A reflector r is secured to the lower end of the cylinder 0 in any suitable manner, preferably by a bayonet slot and catch 8, such as illustrated in Figure 4: of the drawings. The electric lights 6 are provided in the lower end of said reflector, the light therefrom being thrown by the said reflector upwardly through the cylinder 0. The carbons u of the lights are adjusted toward and from each other by the adjusting mechanism 2;. The means for adjusting said carbons constitutes no part of this invention and will not be described in detail.

In order to make the balls which are forced upwardly through the pipe n appear in difrerent colors, as desired, colored transparent screens may be employed, as indicated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. The slot w through the walls of the cylinder 0 is provided for the insertion of a screen If' desired, however, the balls may be dyed different colors, in which case the screens such as 00 need not be employed.

In operating the device, a suitable number of balls is placed in the wire sieve or screen receptacle f, the number being varied as desired by the operator, and the blower is then started, which forces a strong blast of air upwardly through the pipe 1*, which strikes the balls in the receptacle f, forcing them upwardly through the pipe or. The balls escaping from the upper end of the said pipe, being very light, scatter outwardly in all directions in the same manner as wouldastream of water issuing from the said pipe. These balls escaping very rapidly, have identically the appearance of water, and falling, strike upon the device 71'? and are directed thereby back into the sieve f and are ready to be forced again upwardly through the pipe at. It will thus be seen that the operation is continuous, and that the same' balls are used over and over to form what appears to be a continuous fountain having, as has been stated above, the ap pearance of water.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. An apparatus for producing an artificial fountain without water, comprising a receptacle adapted to hold a number of balls, an

, open-ended pipe located above said receptacle,

and means located eXteriorly of the said receptacle for forcing the said balls through the said pipe;

2. An apparatus for producing an artificial fountain without water, comprising a perforated receptacle adapted to hold a number of balls, a pipe located above said receptacle and having a funnel-shaped mouth opening over the bottom of said receptacle, and means for forcing the said balls upwardly through the said pipe.

3. An apparatus for producing an artificial fountain without water, comprising a wire sieve receptacle of semi-circular contour in transverse section, and which is adapted to receive and hold a number of balls, a pipe located above said receptacle, and means for directing a current of air through the said sieve and through the said pipe to convey the balls located in said sieve upwardly through the said 4. An apparatus for producing a fountain without water, comprising a wire sieve receptacle of semi-circular contour in transverse section, and which is adapted to receive and hold a number of balls, apipe located above said receptacle, means for directing-a current of air through the said sieve and through the said pipe to convey the balls located in said sieve upwardly through the said pipe, and a device for receiving the said balls as they descend and directing them back into the said receptacle.

5. In an apparatus for producing an artificial fountain without water,'in combination, a cylinder, a wire sieve semi-circular in transverse section located in, and supported upon the upper end of, said cylinder, a pipe located above the said receptacle, and means for directing a blast of air through the said pipe.

6. In an apparatus for producing an artificial fountain without water, in combination, a cylinder, a receptacle, having a large number of adjacent openings through its walls, supported upon the upper end of said cylinder, a pipelooated above the said receptacle and hav ing an inverted funnel-shaped lower end over the bottom of said receptacle, and means for directing a blast of air through said pipe.

7 In an apparatus for producing an artificial fountain without water, in combination, a cylinder, a reflector secured to the lower end of said cylinder, electric lights located in said reflector, a wire screen or sieve receptacle located in the upper end of said cylinder, and a vertically arranged pipe having a funnelshaped lower end situated above the bottom of said wire screen, and means for directing a blast of air upwardly through the said sieve, to the said pipe.

8. An apparatus for producing an artificial fountain without water comprising means for holding a number of balls, a directing device located above said means, and means located exteriorly of said means and opposite to the said directing device for forcing said balls through the said device.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereunto signed my name this 28th day of July, A. D. 1903.

CLARENCE HARVEY ROEDEL.

In presence of Omens N. ANDERSON, LAURA KLEINFELDER. 

